Actos Link to Bladder Cancer Confirmed by the FDA

In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed that taking the type 2 diabetes drug pioglitazone, also known as Actos, can increase patients' risk of developing bladder cancer.

The FDA announced this conclusion in a drug safety communication, which cited a 13-year study of 145,000 diabetes patients published in March. Researchers found that taking pioglitazone increased the risk of bladder cancer by 63 percent.

The FDA communication advises physicians to discontinue use of pioglitazone in patients diagnosed with active bladder cancer. Regulators also recommend that health care professionals carefully asses the risks and benefits of prescribing pioglitazone to patients who have a history of bladder cancer.

Patients taking the drug should call their physician immediately if they experience blood in their urine, pain during urination or worsening urges to urinate.

The FDA first notified the public about the link between pioglitazone and bladder cancer in September 2010. Another warning followed in June 2011, and the FDA updated pioglitazone labels in August 2011 to warn of the increased risk of bladder cancer.

After the label update, almost 9,000 lawsuits were filed by patients who were diagnosed with bladder cancer after taking drugs containing pioglitazone.

One lawsuit resulted in a record-setting $9 billion verdict for a man who had taken Actos until he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The verdict was reduced to $37 million in 2015.

That same year, Takeda Pharmaceuticals resolved thousands of lawsuits by agreeing to a $2.37 billion settlement, which provided an average payout of $296,000 per claim.

If you were prescribed Actos to manage your type 2 diabetes and subsequently developed bladder cancer, you may be entitled to compensation. The Fort Worth personal injury lawyers at Stephens, Anderson & Cummings may be able to pursue a claim to protect your rights and obtain all of the compensation you are entitled.